Wednesday 08 / May / 2024
Muscat: Passengers flying from Oman to Pakistan were stranded, while those travelling to India faced unexpected delays, after both countries decided to temporarily shut their airspace, due to the tension between the two neighbours.
Pakistan’s entire airspace was closed to all commercial airliners, starting at 7.30am yesterday, and is expected to reopen at 11.59pm today, after Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), which is provided to air crew and airport staff, should they need to take precautions in case of risks posed to flights.
India also halted flights, to Srinagar, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Jammu, Leh and Amritsar, all of which share a border with Pakistan. This came after an air force jet was reportedly shot down during an alleged air raid by the Pakistan Air Force on Indian defence installations. Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the nation and once again invited India to hold dialogues to defuse the situation.
Mohammed Zaeem, the General Secretary of the Pakistan Social Club in Oman, was expecting to take a flight from Islamabad to Multan, but was unable to do so because of the airspace closure.
“I came to Pakistan on vacation for two weeks as the final exams of my children at school just ended,” he told Times of Oman from Pakistan. “I am a resident of Islamabad, and we booked a domestic flight to travel to Multan at 11.30am to attend the wedding reception of my nephew. Everything went smoothly and we got our boarding passes. However, before take-off, we were informed that our plane had been delayed for an hour, and at 2pm we were informed that all airfields in Pakistan had been closed.”
“Despite the chaotic situation, authorities of Pakistan International Airline (PIA) were extremely cooperative,” he added. “They served snacks to all the passengers at the airport and provided connecting and international flight passengers with accommodation and food as well.”
All flights to Pakistan have been diverted to other airports, or have been ordered to turn back – sometimes mid-air – while domestic and international flights scheduled to depart from Pakistan have been grounded.
In addition, Indian flights that use Pakistani airspace to fly to the northern parts of the country will now face longer flying times, as they will need to take longer routes over the Arabian Sea before entering the Indian airspace.
A statement from Pakistan International Airlines, the country’s flag carrier, said, “As a precautionary measure, Pakistan International Airline may be affected due to the closure of Pakistan’s Commercial Air Space.”
Shahzad Paracha, the country manager for PIA in Oman, added, “Luckily there were no flights to Pakistan from the Muscat International Airport on February 27. However, the flight from Sharjah to Turbat was diverted to Muscat, where all the passengers were taken care of and were provided with accommodation and food.”
“There are two flights scheduled to take off from Muscat on Thursday, February 28, to Gwadar and Islamabad but have been suspended due to the closure of the airspace in Pakistan,” he said. “Another flight is scheduled for Friday afternoon to Sialkot which will resume its operation if the commercial flights are back to normal.”
Both Oman Air and SalamAir have also temporarily halted operations to their routes through Pakistan.
“Oman Air regrets to inform its esteemed guests on the suspension of its flights to Pakistan, namely Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore until further notice as notified by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, since the Pakistan airspace is closed for commercial airliners,” said the country’s national carrier.
A SalamAir statement added, “Due to Pakistan’s airspace closure, we regret that SalamAir flights to Karachi, Multan and Sialkot will not be operated till further notice.”
An Indian airline official added that although many flights operated through Pakistani airspace to reach their northern destinations, passengers travelling to India would face longer flying times, as they would need to now fly across the Arabian Sea and into western India, before turning north.
Air India, the country’s national carrier, has also decided to divert all inbound and outbound flights from Delhi to Europe and the US through other Indian cities. Air India operates a daily flight between Muscat and New Delhi.
“In view of the prevailing situation regarding the closure of the airspace, we would like to inform our esteemed passengers that astute route-panning for our long- and medium-haul flights have been drawn up by our operations in preparedness of an exigency, including closure of airspace, so that flights operate with minimal delay, according to top priority to safety and security,” said an Air India statement.
“Inbound and outbound flights from the USA and Europe for Delhi are being re-routed through Ahmedabad and Mumbai,” it added. “Flights landing into India from the USA and Europe are being re-routed via Dubai & Sharjah and will land in India with a delay. Air India would like to inform that no flights are cancelled and there will only be an increase in the flying time. Kindly check the flight status with our customer care before you leave for the airport.”
Indigo Air, which also operates flights to Oman, also announced the temporary closure of operations to its northern destinations. “Due to airspace closure, flights to and from Srinagar, Jammu, Chandigarh, Amritsar and Dehradun have been temporarily suspended,” said a statement from Indigo, who are offering cancellation charges waived off for all affected passengers until March 31.
Pakistan’s Embassy in Oman also asked its citizens in Oman to follow developments, without hastily reaching conclusions. “Authorities in charge of the matter in Pakistan, in view of the national security and safety of citizens, as well as scores of tourists and visitors, have acted with prudence to shut down the Pakistani airspace,” said an embassy spokesperson. “We request all travellers to and from Pakistan to follow the developments, as well as the travel advisory for their information and safety. We do hope the situation will soon return to normal.”
